TECHNOLOGY-BASED LAB ACTIVITIES

DATA TABLE
Number Total mass, m Terminal speed, v T v 2 T (m 2 /s 2 ) Air resistance factor, k
of filters (kg) (m/s) (kg/m)
1
2
3
4
5
Average
ANALYSIS
1. Graphing Data Use your calculator or graph paper to plot terminal speed,
v T , versus mass, m, for the five trials. Be sure to scale the axes from the origin
(0,0). Draw a line through your data that also goes through the origin. Does
your data fit a linear model? Explain why or why not.
2. Calculate Square each terminal speed in the data table, and record the
2
results under the heading v T (m 2 /s 2 ) in your data table.
3. Graphing Data On a separate graph, plot terminal speed squared, v 2 T ,versus
mass, m. Again, scale the axes through the origin. Does this seem to be a
better fit than the linear model? Explain why or why not.
4. Interpreting graphs Based on your data and graphs, which mathematical
model best represents the relationship between the force of air resistance
and the speed of the coffee filters? (Choose a or b.)
a. F R =−kv (linear model)
b. F R =−kv 2 (quadratic model)
5. Evaluating results Calculate an air resistance factor, k, for each of the coffee
filter trials. If you found that your data fit a linear model better, use the
following equation:
k = ⎯ m v T
g ⎯
If you found that your data fit a quadratic model best, use the following
equation instead:
mg
k = ⎯⎯
v
2
T
Record the values for k in your data table, then calculate an average air resistance
factor for all the trials combined.
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34 HOLT PHYSICS Technology-Based Lab Activities